Omicron — Ο / ο
Ο ο
| Uppercase | Ο |
|---|---|
| Lowercase | ο |
| Transliteration | o |
| Pronunciation | OH‑mee‑kron |
| Numeric value | 70 |
Etymology and Origin
Omicron comes from the Phoenician letter "ayin," meaning "eye." The name "omicron" literally means "small o" (ὂ μικρόν) to distinguish it from omega (ω "big o"). Both uppercase and lowercase omicron (Ο ο) look identical to the Latin letter O. Omicron is the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
Pronunciation
- Ancient Greek: Short [o] as in "got"
- Modern Greek: [o] as in "go"
- English usage: OH-mih-kron or AH-mih-kron [ˈoʊmɪkrɒn] or [ˈɒmɪkrɒn]
Omicron vs. Omega: The Two O's
Ancient Greek had two distinct "o" sounds, represented by two different letters. Omicron (ο) represented a short "o" sound, while omega (ω) represented a long "o" sound. In modern Greek, both letters are pronounced the same way, but the spelling distinction remains.
- Omicron (Ο ο): "Small o" or "short o" - originally short vowel
- Omega (Ω ω): "Big o" or "long o" - originally long vowel
- Visual difference: Omicron is a circle, omega looks like horseshoe
- Modern usage: Both pronounced identically in modern Greek
Uses of Omicron in Mathematics and Computer Science
- Big-O Notation: O(n) describes algorithm complexity (uses Latin O, not Greek)
- Little-o Notation: o(n) for asymptotic behavior (uses Latin o)
- Origin Notation: Sometimes O represents origin (0,0,0) in coordinates
- Rarely Used: Omicron appears infrequently in equations due to confusion with zero
Uses in Science
- Astronomy: Fifteenth star in constellation (e.g., Omicron Ceti = Mira)
- Virology: WHO uses Greek letters for COVID-19 variants (Omicron variant, 2021)
- Biology: Sometimes used in taxonomic and genetic nomenclature
- Chemistry: Occasionally used for specific positions or isomers
Cultural and Contemporary Uses
- COVID-19: Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) identified November 2021
- Fraternities/Sororities: Pi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, many others
- Astronomy: Omicron Ceti (Mira) - first variable star discovered
- Star Trek: Omicron Ceti III appears in "This Side of Paradise" episode
- Typography: Often replaced with Latin O to avoid confusion
Why Omicron is Rarely Used in Equations
- Confusion with Zero: Looks identical to number 0 in many fonts
- Confusion with Latin O: Indistinguishable from letter O
- Omega Alternative: When "o" sound needed, omega (ω) is preferred
- Visual Clarity: Scientists avoid ambiguous symbols
Interesting Facts
- Omicron is the ancestor of the Latin letter O
- In ancient Greek numerals, Ο΄ = 70
- Omicron is visually identical to both zero (0) and Latin O in most fonts
- The Omicron COVID-19 variant spread rapidly worldwide in late 2021-2022
- Mira (Omicron Ceti) was the first variable star discovered (1596)
- The word "omicron" literally translates to "little O"
- Big-O notation (algorithm complexity) uses Latin O, not Greek omicron
- Ancient Greeks distinguished omicron and omega by vowel length, not quality
- Omicron Persei 8 is the home planet of aliens in Futurama
- Unicode has separate code points for Greek omicron (U+03BF) and Latin o (U+006F)
Mathematical Examples with Omicron
Big-O notation: Bubble sort is O(n²) - quadratic time complexity
Little-o notation: f(x) = o(g(x)) means f grows slower than g
Astronomy: Mira (ο Ceti) varies from magnitude 3 to 10 over 332 days
Pronunciation: Ancient Greeks would hear clear difference between ὁδός (hodos, path with omicron) and ᾠδή (ōidē, song with omega)
Writing Tips
- Uppercase Ο: Identical to Latin O and number 0 - perfect circle
- Lowercase ο: Identical to Latin o and number 0 - small circle
- Common mistake: Virtually impossible to distinguish from O/o/0 in handwriting
- Handwriting: Draw a circle - same as Latin O
Copy Omicron
Click the buttons below to copy the uppercase or lowercase letter to your clipboard:
Ο
ο
Unicode code points: U+039F (uppercase), U+03BF (lowercase).